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CHRISTMAS COMPARED > Christmas in the USA and Germany
 

Christmas display
Christmas in Berlin: A nutcracker soldier made out of lights. PHOTO © H. Flippo
Christmas in Austria, Germany, Switzerland

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Tradition, Three Kings, and Kris Kringle

Although we usually take today’s Christmas celebration customs for granted, most of the so-called “traditional” Christmas practices only date back to the 19th century.

Even the date of the celebration of Christ’s birth has fluctuated. Until the Roman church adopted December 25 in the 4th century, January 6 was the day of celebration — today’s Epiphany or Heilige Drei Könige (the “Wise Men,” “Three Kings,” the Magi) in German. To this day, the initials of the Three Kings — C+M+B (Caspar/Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) — plus the year are inscribed in chalk on or over doorways in German-speaking countries on or before January 6 to protect house and home. (Although historically the three letters are supposed to come from the Latin phrase for “Christ bless this house” — “Christus mansionem benedicat” — few of the people practicing this custom are aware of this fact.) In many parts of Europe, including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, the Christmas celebration does not end until this date, now considered the arrival of the three “kings of the orient” in Bethlehem — and the end of the “twelve days of Christmas” between Christmas and January 6.

ALSO SEE: Erntedank - Erntedankfest in Germany and Austria is different from the American Thanksgiving tradition. More...

Nast Santa
German-American Thomas Nast’s version of Santa, illustrating Clement Moore’s poem “The Night Before Christmas” in Harper’s Weekly, soon became the American version of the “jolly old elf.”
Many “American” Christmas elements have come from German Europe. “Silent Night” was composed in Austria in 1818. (More on our “Silent Night” page.) The Advent or Christmas calendar is a German tradition that has become increasingly popular in the U.S. Even some American Christmas words come from German. Kris Kringle is a corruption of Christkindl (“Christ Child” — It is the Christkindl who brings gifts on Christmas Eve in Germany, not Santa!) And it was the German-American Thomas Nast (1840-1902) who gave us the modern image of Santa Claus (and the animal symbols for both the American Democratic and Republican parties!) in the 1860s. (Nast was born in Germany and came to the US with his family as a young boy.) His Christmas illustrations for Harper’s Weekly were later published in book form and, along with Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas,” helped establish our “jolly old elf” image of Santa — not to be confused with St. Nikolaus. His day, Nikolaustag, is on December 6.

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Boxing Day
One German Christmas custom the US has yet to adopt is the two-day celebration. The day after Christmas Day — der zweite Weihnachtstag, known as Boxing Day in Britain — is also a holiday in Germany. There are many other Christmas customs and traditions — national, regional, and local — unique to German Europe. You can learn about them by following our numerous Christmas links, and reading our other Christmas pages such as the “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) page.

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